Fighting Back Against the Stigma of Substance Use Disorders

In several posts here at AddictionNews, we have seen that stigma is a major barrier to seeking treatment for substance use disorders. One organization is working to put numbers to the problem by conducting “the largest survey of public attitudes about substance use in the United States.” That organization is Shatterproof, and they are the subject of a just-published profile in the Washington (DC) Business Journal.
The 2024 Shatterproof Addiction Stigma Index (SASI) contains the following insights into stigma and substance use disorder in the United States:
- More than half of those surveyed (54%) know someone with substance use disorder.
- Almost three-quarters of those surveyed (74%) do not believe that a person with substance use disorder is experiencing a chronic disease.
- Nearly half of those surveyed would prefer not to socialize with someone with an SUD (44%) or have them as a close friend (47%).
- In the workplace, 77% are okay with working with someone with an SUD, but 57% view such a person as “untrustworthy” and 40% view such a person as “incompetent.”
- Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed support the widespread availability of naloxone (71%) and fentanyl test strips (73%).
The SASI was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs in April of 2024, involving 10,064 “non-institutionalized” adults in the United States. The survey was conducted in both Spanish and English.
The Washington Business Journal quotes Shatterproof Patient Ambassador, Alexandra Skouzes, about the implications of the survey:
It is time to recognize addiction as a health issue, rather than a moral failing, so that we can embrace a more compassionate approach toward others on their unique road to recovering while creating a more empathetic and altruistic culture of resilience.
In a shocking survey published in the Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment last December, researchers found that in North Carolina:
- Nearly three-quarters (74%) of the addiction treatment providers in the state did not provide withdrawal medications.
- Half of addiction treatment providers gave discouraging or stigmatizing advice about medically-assisted withdrawal.
- The most common type of treatment provided is faith-based, abstinence-only, which has a terrible track record for relapse.
In a write-up about the North Carolina addiction treatment survey by Jennifer Carroll in Salon, the author lays out what addiction treatment should look like in America:
According to the current, best practice treatment guidelines set by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, residential care for substance use disorders must include “access to medications for [opioid use disorder] — made available on-site or in the immediate community.” Based on our recent findings, it’s clear that North Carolinians seeking treatment for opioid use disorder cannot expect to receive lifesaving, gold-standard care from the majority of “residential treatment centers” across the state.
Education and legislation are the keys to reducing the stigma of substance use disorders, increasing the availability of medications, and improving the lives of those seeking to recover from substance use disorders.
Written by Steve O’Keefe. First published October 8, 2024.
Sources:
“National nonprofit champions to end the addiction stigma,” Washington Business Journal, October 4, 2024.
“Evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder is widely unavailable and often discouraged by providers of residential substance use services in North Carolina,” Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, December 2024.
“Removing barriers to opioid addiction treatment is critical. So why aren’t we doing it?,” Salon, October 4, 2024.
Image Copyright: backyardproduction.